National Gay News

The Maryland marriage equality bill cleared a crucial hurdle Thursday evening when senators voted 25-21 to pass the bill on the third and final reading. Rejoice at progress echoes from the Castro District San Francisco. The measure now heads to the House of Delegates, where approval is anticipated. Gov. Martin O'Malley has pledged to sign the bill. Here at My Castro we get the feeling that it is just a matter of time before more states will follow suite.

Senators convened in the evening for less than one hour of debate, passing the bill shortly before 6:30 p.m. Check back with Advocate.com soon for reactions on the historic approval.

Marine commandant Gen. James Amos, who vocally opposed repealing "don't ask, don't tell," now says he does not anticipate losing any troops due to the new policy allowing gay and lesbian personnel to serve openly. The Castro District San Francisco does not find this surprising at all.

My Castro readers will find the following statement of interest. When asked Friday about the mass exodus that Sen. John McCain warned his colleagues would happen if "don't ask, don't tell" was repealed, Amos told reporters, "I haven't had any indication yet at all, not at all." He added that when he addressed some 12,000 Marines about the repeal, they were compliant and willing to adapt to the new law, according to AOL News. Falling in line and not voicing your opinions is a common thread in military life as oppose to our lifestyle in the Castro District.

As if there weren't enough Anti gay people on this earth, we can add another.

Antigay former U.S. senator Rick Santorum, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has found the use of his name in connection with anal sex is a hyperlink that's hard to break... thanks to Dan Savage.

Antigay former U.S. senator Rick Santorum, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has found that the use of his name in connection with anal sex is a hyperlink that's hard to break, Roll Call reports. What do you think Castro San Francisco? Do we feel bad for this anti gay senator?

Castro District San Francisco loves Lady Gaga. The unprecedented pre-release anticipation for Lady Gaga's latest single "Born This Way" owed as much to its being touted as "the next great gay anthem" as it did to Gaga-mania. When the song, which the superstar claims to have composed in 10 minutes, finally arrived last Friday, some fans rejoiced while others were underwhelmed. Although here at My Castro we are not sure why others were underwhelmed. But whether you love it or don't quite hate it, let's give the lady her due. "Born This Way" is one of the few mainstream anthems that unapologetically embraces queerness. Just try to name another chart topper with "transgender" in its lyrics. The Castro San Francisco does not seem to care about past songs with "transgender" in its lyrics, instead they are proud to have a song that currently does!

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says she's fine with GOProud's presence at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The gay GOP group is co-sponsoring the event, which kicked off Thursday.

Palin told Fox News: "I don't have a problem with the different diverse groups that are involved in political discourse and having a convention to talk about what the answers are to the problems that face America." Here at MyCastro.com San Francisco we are pleased to hear this subtle bet yet meaningful show of support for our gay community.

Gay porn studio and distributor Corbin Fisher has taken an unusual approach to going after people for piracy. The Castro San Francisco community scoffs when told of this unappreciated threat. The company recently offered people who have illegally downloaded their videos a 14-day grace period to pay a onetime fee of $1,000 and avoid being sued. Castro San Francisco residents don't find anything graceful about this approach.

That grace period ended on February 8, with the company focusing on people who have downloaded videos through the BitTorrent file-sharing program. Here at MyCastro.com San Francisco we find it hard to believe that this attempt at "punishment" for piracy will follow through. Fisher's general counsel, Marc Randazza, tells The Advocate just 20 people took the company up on its offer, which included a one-year membership to the websites AmateurCollegeMen.com and AmateurCollegeSex.com.

MyCastro.com readers should take a moment to hear this story if you have not already done so.

Rachel Maddow presented a segment Friday about the murder of Ugandan gay rights activist David Kato, a crime that she calls "an American story" because of U.S. evangelical leaders' promotion of deadly homophobia in the country. Castro San Francisco residents are outraged.

The MSNBC host reviewed the circumstances of the Kato murder, the pending bill to impose the death penalty on gay people, and the connections to American evangelical leaders who preach that gay people can be "cured" in visits to Uganda, a country heavily dependent on foreign aid, including more than $500 million from the United States. We hear at MyCastro.com are insulted by the thought that we can be "cured" as if we were sick.

MyCastro.com is providing a follow up to a horrific story that we shared several weeks ago. (New York) A Portuguese model accused of killing a celebrity TV journalist in a hotel admitted to brutally attacking him for more than an hour – castrating him with a corkscrew, stabbing him in the face, slamming a computer monitor into his head and stomping on his face, prosecutors said this week.

Renato Seabra, 21, remained silent at his arraignment in Manhattan State Supreme Court. His lawyer entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Castro residents wonder how the defendant hopes to win his case after admitting such acts of guilt.

Court papers presented by prosecutors detailed the statement that police said Seabra gave to investigators after the Jan. 7 death of well-known Portuguese journalist Carlos Castro while the two were vacationing in Manhattan.

The 5-4 vote followed votes in the senate last week for a constitutional amendment against marriage equality, and in the house for a bill to prohibit recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions from out of state. Another so close but yet so far for Castro District San Francisco residents. Also on Friday, the house judiciary committee outright rejected a marriage equality bill without a vote.

According to the Casper Star-Tribune, the vote against civil unions followed hours of testimony in the house about the merits of same-sex relationships including remarks from a chiropractor that "went into anatomical detail about the health risks of gay sex."